Penn State puts its focus on stopping Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman runner-up

PHOENIX — Shortly after Boise State hired running backs coach James Montgomery in the spring of 2023, a talented rising sophomore, Ashton Jeanty, had already been on his radar. Montgomery, who joined the Broncos’ program from Fresno State, had gotten a glimpse of Jeanty on the opposite sideline, as the native of Jacksonville, Fla., ran for 109 yards and two scores in their 2022 matchup.

But even though Montgomery knew about Jeanty’s talent, what his soon-to-be star running back did in Boise State’s 2023 spring game still blew him away.

“I think he had six touches for 182 yards [in our spring game],” Montgomery said with a laugh. “That moment right there, I knew I was working with something special, and I had seen him as a true freshman playing after we had played them when I was at Fresno. I followed him pretty much the rest of the season, and he had [821 yards] as a true freshman. That’s elite.”

Still, Jeanty hadn’t become the Broncos’ full-time starter until this season. He shared carries in his first two seasons with George Holani, who’s now with the Seattle Seahawks. But the 5-foot-9, 215-pound Jeanty quickly ascended to the top running back in college football and is closing in on Barry Sanders’ single-season record of 2,628 rushing yards set in 1988. Jeanty has 2,497 yards and is 132 away from breaking the mark.

“Obviously, I want to break the record. But I think we’ve just got to keep the main thing, the main thing, and that’s just winning against Penn State,” Jeanty said earlier this week. “If we take care of what we need to take care of, then [the record] will come with it, just like everything else, just like all the other awards, all the other stats.”

In the lead-up to the College Football Playoff quarterfinal between Boise State and Penn State (Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN) the Heisman Trophy runner-up has been compared to powerful players like Derrick Henry by Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Tom Allen. Jeanty also has drawn comparisons to former Michigan running back Blake Corum by Penn State linebacker Kobe King.

But while there’s no back quite like the Jeanty, Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter says he sees a lot of former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew in his running back’s game.

“Part of it is they’re both short in height, both about 210 pounds playing weight, but both are all-purpose backs,” said Koetter, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach from 2016-18 and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive coordinator from 2007-11. “Can do everything they need to do. So I think it’s a good comparison. Ashton is a third-year junior, and a lot of those guys I coached in the NFL, they were further along just in their development. So Ashton is still young.”

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The focus all week for Penn State, and rightfully so, has been on Jeanty, who plays much bigger than his size. Penn State players and coaches alike have sung his praises, pointing to his eye-popping 1,889 rushing yards after contact and the 143 missed tackles he has accumulated in Boise State’s run to a Mountain West championship and playoff berth. From the hurdles, the long touchdown runs, and explosive plays he has made, Jeanty’s highlight reel this season has been one of the best in recent memory, several Penn State players and coaches admitted this week.

But the key is wrapping up the talented running back, something that teams have struggled to do this season and something Penn State struggled with during its Big Ten championship loss to Oregon on Dec. 7.

“They throw a shoulder, and guys aren’t wrapping [up] like they used to,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “You’ve got to consistently wrap. … Now you’re playing arguably the best back in college football, one of the best backs in the history of college football. You better wrap that sucker up. You better gang tackle as well.

“We have built this guy up [this week], but you also don’t want to build him up too much. You know that our guys feel like we’re playing Superman.”

”I’ve enjoyed — well, I don’t know if I’ve enjoyed it, but it’s been impressive to watch his film, studying him,” Allen said Friday. “The thing that just sticks out is he doesn’t go down. He gets hit and he has tremendous balance. I just think the ability for him to break tackles is really phenomenal.”

The Fiesta Bowl will be a chess match at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. between Penn State’s sixth-ranked rushing defense and the freight train that is Jeanty. Teams have attempted to stack the box against the Boise State star to no avail. According to Boise State, Jeanty faced seven or more defenders in the box a nation-high 266 times and scored 25 touchdowns and averaged 6.9 yards per carry.

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It will take a complete defensive effort to slow down Jeanty, from the front seven to the secondary. Penn State safety Jaylen Reed, the top tackler on the Nittany Lions’ defense this season with 84 combined, is ready for the challenge that lies ahead.

“Going against a guy like [Jeanty], you’ve got to wrap up. You’ve got to wrap up and bring your arms,” Reed said. “You’ve got to make sure everybody is swarming to the ball. That’s something we’ve been emphasizing. … Stop the run, stop the play action pass that they do, and just win the game and just move on.”